MALDI-TOF technology joins the resistance

Written by Lisa Parks, Future Science Group
MS (LC–MS/MS, HRMS, IMS) News
A detailed showcasing a mass spectrometer, a vital scientific instrument used in research and analysis. The image highlights the process of recording the frequency of ionized particles, providing

Exclusive licensing agreement signed for testing of beta-lactamase activity using the Bruker MALDI Biotyper.

Bruker has recently announced its exclusive licensing agreement with Erasmus Medical Center (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) concerning the testing of beta-lactamase activity using MALDI-TOF technology. The new method is compatible with the Bruker MALDI Biotyper system that is already established in over 700 microbiology laboratories.

Over the past 5 years, the MALDI Biotyper’s increased specificity, extensive species coverage, ease of use, cost effectiveness and much faster time-to-result compared with classical biochemical techniques has led to the Biotyper replacing classical biochemical testing for bacterial identification in many laboratories. The Bruker system is also being used increasingly for functional resistance mechanism detection in order to tackle the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase is a mechanism of resistance found in Gram-negative bacteria (a bacterial species that can rapidly acquire new resistance mechanisms) in which enzymes present in a bacterial infection render the antibiotics ineffective by cleaving the beta-lactam ring. New methods for the detection of resistance through accurate and rapid techniques are necessary for effectively controlling infection.

MALDI­-TOF-MS can effectively determine the exact molecular weight of antibiotics. When an Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase is present in a sample, the MALDI Biotyper is able to measure predicted fragments of the antibiotics. Following the MALDI Biotyper take-over regarding bacterial identification, it is anticipated that this system will also provide shorter time-to-result for detection of functional resistance mechanisms.

Theo Luider, Head of the Laboratories of Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurology at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, commented,  “We have been working with MALDI-TOF-MS for many years originally in the field of clinical proteomics, but more recently the increased usage of the MALDI-TOF approach for microbial identification also became an area of interest for us. We have filed a Patent Cooperation Treaty for the characterization of beta-lactamase activity by MALDI-TOF-MS with the title “Methods and means for characterizing antibiotic resistance in microorganisms”. With their outstanding expertise in MS and clinical microbiology market presence, we think that Bruker is the right partner to bring such novel assays to the market.”

Executive Vice President of Microbiology Business at Bruker Daltonics, Wolfgang Pusch, added, “The signing of this exclusive license agreement with the Erasmus Medical Center is another major milestone in our MALDI Biotyper strategy. While MALDI Biotyper-based microbial identification is already established in many countries, we see significant growth potential in MALDI-based beta-lactamase testing. The exclusively licenced IP from Erasmus Medical Center further strengthens our own broad portfolio of intellectual property in the field of  MS-based microbial analysis ranging from sample preparation, data processing, MALDI-TOF technology, direct analysis from positive blood cultures and beta-lactamase testing, and offers laboratories worldwide another tool in the fight against resistant bacteria.”

Source: Bruker and Erasmus Medical Center sign an exclusive licensing agreement.